Will getting a professorship be possible?

Question

I have a pretty simple plan: I'm working on my MA in Sociology now, and will finish next year. I'm starting on a PhD in Language, Literacy, and Culture in the fall of 2009. My hope is, once I am done my PhD to get a full-time teaching position in Sociology.

Now in talking to the chair of my dept in my first BA, he said it might be very difficult for me to get a teaching position at a 4 year school in Sociology with a PhD that isn't directly 'Sociology'. Is that true? If so, there are only two PhD in Soc programs around, and one would literally cost me $100,000 (at Hopkins), and the other would be a pain for travelling. However, since I will finish my Master's in 352 days I have time to consider this stuff.

Thanks.

Answer 1

Hi. Your plan is simple and commendable, but the academic climate you are planning to enter is complex and difficult. Your BA chair should be congratulated for being realistic regarding your opportunities for a teaching position once you complete your degree.

Landing any tenure-track position at any four year school is extremely difficult now, more so in the Humanities than in the Sciences, (but still difficult there, too.) You are unfortunately entering a "perfect storm" of confluent forces: more people competing for fewer positions, an emerging "consumer-driven" model for higher education, and a general lack of investment in higher education.

On top of this is a hiring "system" that isn't really a system at all. It's more of a dysfunction than a function, and it operates to exclude rather than include talented educators. This isn't your fault, but it is the reality for many idealistic young scholars, and if you want to continue in academia, you need to know that it's a reality. Anything in your resume that is atypical or unique, is not necessarily an advantage...it can be a reason to throw your application away. That would be the case if a hiring committee considered your LL&C degree as "not really Sociology."

University administrators are not replacing retiring tenured faculty with younger tenure-track professors. They are hiring adjunct faculty on short-term (sometimes as short as a semester or quarter) contracts for a third or even half of tenure track salary. The school gets a fully qualified teacher at a discount price...the teacher? Well, he or she gets to teach, but at a monthly salary that may or may not allow you to pay all your expenses (including that big ol' student loan you took to get all your degrees!) What's worse, the teacher doesn't know if the position will be funded for the next year, or even the next semester.

Now, next point (you can tell I've done some thinking about this, can't you: ;) ) your plan is to teach--that's great! But is that what schools really want? They say they do: they all say "we value classroom interaction between faculty and students!" or "we highly value classroom instruction." That's all talk: what they want is for you to generate money for the school, and that lies in research and publishing. Do you enjoy your research? If so, you're golden. But if what you really get a charge out of is classroom instruction, you are going to find that the schools all say they support it, but they don't really ACT in a way that does. The old dictum "Publish or Perish" is very, very real and true. Oh, but if you don't get good student evaluations on your teaching, (here's the "consumer-driven model--the student as the consumer)you can be sure that your tenure committee will use that to ding you.

You expressed a distain for travelling. Understand that if you go ahead and get a PhD, you will probably spend the next few years after finishing as a migrant educator, going from post-doc position to post-doc position, then a few years here and there as an adjunct, all the while trying to pay your $100,000 (plus your master's, plus your BA's) student loans and build your resume for a tenure-track position that about 100 other scholars will apply for.

Depressed yet? I hope not. It is difficult, but it is not impossible. If you are willing to make the sacrifices and put up with all the politics and b.s. (which are part of any career anyway) then you may be able to find yourself where you want to be. I myself couldn't (I have a BA, MA, MFA and PhD in Art and Art History...I'd probably do it all over again but other commitments in my life make it impractical) If you really love your academic area, you are single and don't plan to buy a house or get married or have kids until you are about 45, I'd say go for it--and I am truly not being ironic, sarcastic or cynical.

However, knowing what I know now, and seeing other friends in the university world experience the same things (e.g.: a very talented, published and sharp scholar of English Literature looking for three years for a tenure track job before quitting and changing careers) all I can say is good luck, and think very very carefully about what you want before you invest in the PhD...outside of academia, it is at best seen as a curiosity and at worst a liability. Be well.
P.S.: If you want some more food for thought, check out the website of the Chronicle of Higher Education. It is a good source for career information, and features alot of first-person writing by people going through the same things as you. Good luck!!!

Answer 2

I do not like your plan. Choosing a PhD program based on geographical preferences is just plain stupid. Choosing a different field for these reasons is beyond stupid. (sorry for the bluntness)

If you want to get a PhD and to become a professor, you need to go to the best school that you can get into -- and you need to go full time.

Don't worry about the cost of tuition -- because PhD students at the top schools rarely pay their own way. They get fellowships, research assistantships and teaching assistantships.

The other part of your plan that I don't like is that you say you plan on getting a teaching job when you are done. Academic departments are not interested in hiring you because you want to teach. They are interested in hiring you because you are driven to do research. Most professors look on teaching as secondary. Some look at it as something they get to do in addition to research. Most look at it as something they HAVE to do in order to do research. Unless you fit into one of those two categories -- you shouldn't get a PhD & you won't get a job.

Answer 3

get ur phd in whatever u wanna teach. whats the hardship about traveling? go where u can get the degree u want so that you will be happy throughout ur life.

Answer 4

If you plan to be a professor of something, you have to be a master of that subject, not study a conglomeate of stuff related to thet subject.

Answer 5

YES.